1. Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to transfer of data in computing, communication and copying systems, and more particularly to transfer of data to a serial recording apparatus having one or more recording heads adapted to provide both single and multi-color printing. Even more particularly, the invention relates to transfer of recording data between a printer driver in an information processor and a print buffer in the serial printer.
2. Description of The Related Art
In printing using serial printers such as the ink jet or bubble jet type, print data from a host processor printer driver is sent to the printer wherein it is stored for printing during repeated line scans of a recording medium by a print head. The print data from the host printer driver may be transferred directly to the print head but it is desirable to send the print data to a buffer prior to the time for printing and preferable to send print data for a next scan while the current scan print data is being printed. The print buffer, however, cannot store print data for the next scan until the print data for the current scan has already been printed.
A conventional solution called "double buffering" provides two print data buffers of equal size, the first to store print data currently being printed and the second to store print data for a next scan line as it is transferred to the print buffer while the current scan print data is being printed. The size of the receiving buffer may be limited by the memory capacity of the printer particularly where the serial printer has multiple heads and is required to store a large amount of print data for each print line as in the bubble jet type printer.
Accordingly, there exists a need for printing and print data transfer arrangements that reduces the amount of storage required and provides a more efficient method of transferring print data from a host processor to a printer.